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How Artists Captured President Obama Before And During His Presidency

Artists have a long history of using political figures as the subject of their art. Examples of the works of art include the ancient Egyptian sculptures of the Pharaoh and Andy Warhol’s pop portraits of Mao Tse Tung. Even US presidents have become popular subjects of both amateurs and professional artists most particularly President Obama whose historic presidency inspired a lot of artworks.

Some of the most memorable artworks inspired by President Obama include early photographs of the president when he was only 20 years old. Lisa Jack asked Barry (how Obama was called by his friends) to pose for her undergraduate portfolio. Working in black and white, Barry was portrayed as a man of confidence and style. He was wearing a bomber jacket, a Panama straw hat and flared jeans while laughing and smoking a cigarette in a couch.

Lisa has forgotten all about the images until she was accused of lying when she claimed that she went to school with the presidential candidate. Lisa searched for the photographs which were kept inside boxes in the basement. Instead of selling the images to tabloids, Lisa kept them in her safety deposit box until after the election. Eventually, Obama’s portraits were published as part of Time magazine’s “Person of the Year” in December 2008. The portraits also became part of M+B exhibit after a year.

In 1996, Barack and Michelle were interviewed and photographed by Mariana Cook at their Hyde Home for a photography project about couples. The couple was captured during their carefree days when Barack was still a community organizer in Chicago. When the photograph was eventually released for the public, it accompanied an interview in the New Yorker. It was a day before Barack Obama was inaugurated as the US President in 2009. At present, the image is being kept at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Some images of President Obama have been recreated in 2’ x 2’ canvas to provide Americans with behind-the-scenes of his daily life. You can also transform your photographs into Canvas Wall Art that can be displayed in the walls of your home or business office.